


Part Of Your World

by Esperata



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Changing POV, Chubby Oswald Cobblepot, M/M, Smitten Edward Nygma, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-04
Packaged: 2021-01-16 18:15:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21275561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esperata/pseuds/Esperata
Summary: It can be lonely when you always feel like a fish out of water but a chance encounter might change that.





	1. Penguin's pov

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mordredllewelynjones](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mordredllewelynjones/gifts).

> Happy Birthday Mordred! This should be complete by your special day.

Oswald had always been a bit out of sync with the other merfolk. Coming with his mother from the deeper waters meant he had a different perspective on the harsh realities of life. The attitudes of his daintier, shallow water cousins seemed ridiculously naïve to him and he struggled to fit in. His distinct deep sea looks didn’t help matters, lending him a weight and slow, though energy efficient, swimming style quite at odds with the swifter habits common in the surface waters.

While his mother was at hand to remind him of his proud heritage he kept face amongst the crowds but that confidence ebbed when she died. At that point he began spending longer and longer up on the shore. No-one under the Sea appreciated why he wasn’t willing to change himself to fit their ideals. They didn’t understand him nor the pride he carried from his distinguished, though estranged, family. His refusal to accommodate their sentiments led them to treat him as the aggressor and their words became cruel, making him cling to his mother’s memory all the more.

You are handsome, she would always tell him. Don't listen to the others. Well that was easier with her soothing touches and soft cadence words vibrating the water like a force field around him. Without them their jibes of beak nosed penguin left sharp wounds which he struggled to ignore.

You are clever. He knew that was true. It was painfully obvious when he shared any conversation with his mermates. Yet they couldn't see it. His ideas were derided without even being considered. Even when he pointed out the obvious, such as the benefits of his extra fatty layers in the deep waters, they scoffed.

Someday, you will be a great man. Perhaps. At times he believed it, at others he thought maybe he shouldn't even try. What was the point? Without someone to share it with, would it even mean anything?

It was far easier to endure his loneliness out of the water, by himself, than flipping his fins amongst his cruel compatriots. He may still be alone but at least it was now by his own choice. So each morning he made his way up to the rocky outcrop that had the benefit of being sufficiently far from the waves that he didn’t need to worry about water forcing his legs back into their tail form, yet was also hard enough for humans to reach so he didn’t need to concern himself with any awkward socializing.

For entertainment he sat watching the various comings and goings, making up ever more elaborate backstories for the people he saw and increasingly diabolical ideas to explain their behaviours. He was a good judge of character, whether merfolk or human made little difference to their basic traits, and he knew he had a good eye for detail. The subtle glances that betrayed intentions or what were supposedly clandestine gestures conveying promises. He watched them all with rapacious interest.

All of which made the following interruption all the more shocking.

“Hello.”

Oswald nearly fell backwards off his perch at the voice speaking from mere feet away and it was only his interlocutor’s quick hand that caught and steadied him.

“Sorry! Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

He finally focused on the speaker and found a bright eyed, nervously smiling man, anxiously trying to apologise. For a long moment all Oswald could do was stare. The man was quite tall, with nicely toned limbs, and warm brown eyes. All combined he was rather attractive. Oswald quickly shook those thoughts away and tuned back into the stream of words.

“And it struck me as odd that you were sitting looking _towards_ the beach and I thought perhaps you might have hurt yourself but I can see now you’re fine… Not _fine_ as in…Although you certainly are fine… But that’s not an appropriate comment is it? I didn’t mean to-”

Oswald quickly held up a hand to halt another apology and tried to smile reassuringly.

“Thank you. For the concern and the… compliment?” He wasn’t entirely sure if it had been a compliment but the happy smile he received implied perhaps it had. The wide smile distracted him a second but he briskly refocused. “Maybe we should begin again. Who are you?”

“Oh! Oh yes. I’m Edward. Edward Nygma.”

The tall man folded himself down to sit comfortably cross legged in front of him. Oswald wasn’t sure whether to be charmed by the assumed familiarity or offended. The focused brown eyes and continued smile swayed him towards the former.

“And you are?” Edward prompted.

“Oswald,” he replied automatically before realizing perhaps he shouldn’t be so free with his name. But then again, it would be nice to have someone use his given name again rather than his accursed nickname. The remembrance of the last person to call him Oswald, his mother, momentarily dampened his polite smile.

“Oh… Was that too pushy of me? I’m not very good at socializing I’m afraid.”

“No! Not at all,” Oswald found himself hastening to reassure him, sad to have lost that radiant smile so soon. “I’m just remembering the last person to call me that. She died. The memory… is still rather raw.”

“I’m sorry,” Edward said again, at least this time sounding sincere rather than on automatic, even as he clearly floundered for something else appropriate to add. “Was she your girlfriend?”

The inaccurate assumption broke a laugh out of Oswald, both for the natural error and the ludicrousness of assuming someone like him would have a girlfriend.

“No,” he smiled. “I meant my mother. I’ve never had a girlfriend.”

“Now I can’t believe that!” Edward declared with an obvious intention of bucking Oswald’s spirits.

Oswald found himself amused by the sweet gesture.

“I’m not sure why,” he commented drily. “I am gay after all.”

The dumbfounded look on Edward’s face shouldn’t have been so entertaining but somehow Oswald couldn’t help but laugh at having caught him by surprise, even as he inwardly lamented the curtailing of their conversation. Opposite him, Edward flushed in embarrassment.

“Sorry.” He visibly winced as he realized he was apologizing again. “I shouldn’t have assumed. It was just when you said you’d never had a girlfriend and… well… look at you!”

The sudden demand took Oswald by surprise in turn and he blinked in confusion a long moment before glancing down at himself, wondering if this time out of the water he had somehow shed several pounds as well as his fins. Nope. All the usual fatty layers were present and accounted for. He looked back up at Edward hoping to be enlightened.

The silent request wasn’t lost on Edward although he sighed in mild exasperation before responding.

“You look healthy and well. I mean just compare yourself to me.” He held his arms out for appraisal. “No padding to protect my bones, no excess meat on my muscles to carry me through hard times. I’m one meal away from starvation. _You_ look like you’d not only survive but continue to thrive.” He ducked his gaze away. “I’ve always envied people who could carry some weight. I always seem to be running to catch up.”

Oswald gaped like a proverbial fish out of water.

“But you look perfect!” he blurted, before flushing flaming red. “I mean, you’re perfectly balanced. Every limb in proportion. No unsightly lumps. Utterly streamlined.”

Edward huffed a laugh.

“Being streamlined is all very well but it doesn’t keep you warm in the water.”

“You don’t live in the water though,” Oswald commented, feeling his heart sink a little as he remembered the very sizeable barrier between them.

“No,” Edward agreed, his gaze lingering out on the water beyond Oswald with an almost wistful expression. “I suppose that’s true.”

The secret Oswald could feel settling like a wall around him made him feel momentarily cold and isolated. Then Edward turned his bright smile on him once more.

“So what do your friends call you if not Oswald? Or your boyfriend?” he added hesitantly.

“Not my friends,” Oswald amended, “And I don’t have a boyfriend either,” he added before hesitating himself. “They tend to call me… well… Penguin.”

He dropped his head, fully expecting the usual laughter about his nose or physique, only to be surprised yet again.

“Oh that’s cute! I can see why. That feathery black hair right? And I bet you’re a strong swimmer too.”

“No,” he stammered slightly. “It’s because I’m fat. And my nose is too sharp. And I spend too long on the shore.” He bit himself off quickly as he realized he almost said too much.

Ed however was shaking his head resolutely.

“You’re not _fat_. That sounds so derogative. You seem perfectly shaped to me. And who says your nose is too sharp? It’s beautifully aquiline. And what’s wrong about spending time on the shore? Most of the people who live here are only here because they love the beach.”

Oswald couldn’t help but smile at the innocent interpretation. Rather than argue over the technical definition of ‘fat’, which presented a rather different connotation when you _did_ live under the Sea, Oswald turned the conversation over.

“Is that why you live here? Or don’t you live here? I haven’t seen you around before.”

“I just moved here,” Edward answered. “But, yes, I moved here to be close to the water. My family… don’t approve of my affinity for the Sea. So as soon as I was old enough I left to live on my own. What about you? I guess you’re a local?”

Oswald tried very hard to restrain his smirk.

“Yes,” he agreed. “I lived with my mother until… well, until. Now I stay in the community where I grew up because I wouldn’t know where else to go. It’s my home.” He shrugged, unable to explain further than that.

“Do you mean the town?”

“No. I live…” Oswald turned slightly, glancing over the rocky slopes that turned into a dangerous cliff along the shoreline. “In an isolated commune. They’re… very private. They don’t like me leaving in fact.”

“Oh. So I couldn’t visit you then?”

The idea that Edward might _want_ to visit caught him off guard and he surveyed his companion again.

“I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t appreciate me bringing you home,” he told him, all the while imaging people’s reactions to him bringing a human down to his underwater grotto. “But perhaps we could meet here again?” he offered.

“I’d like that!” Edward flashed that brilliant smile at him again. “Maybe tomorrow I could bring a picnic?”

He was about to agree enthusiastically but he had to address one niggling doubt first.

“That sounds like a date,” he tried to keep his tone light but knew his gaze was overly optimistic. Edward however blushed delightfully in response.

“I’d like that,” he said again casting an almost shy look Oswald’s way.

“I’d like that too,” he finally agreed.

“Umm, so, should I walk you home?”

The innocent question effectively squashed the rising happiness in Oswald’s chest. Because no matter how much he may like Edward, and no matter how comfortable he felt talking to him, he could not under any circumstances let Ed see him in his natural state.

“That’s alright.” He stood himself up and awkwardly patted his legs in a habitual gesture he’d yet to shake when he was on land. “The rocks can be dangerous if you don’t know them. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, okay then. So, lunchtime tomorrow?”

Oswald knew he should backtrack. He should decline. After all, this… whatever it was… couldn’t end up anywhere good. And yet… it couldn’t hurt could it? Just having someone to talk to? A friend?

“Tomorrow,” he agreed with a smile.

He was about to turn and begin picking his way to a more secluded spot to return to the sea when Edward suddenly darted forward to kiss his cheek.

“See you tomorrow Oswald.”

It was several minutes before Oswald could remember how human legs operated, though he spent the time wisely by watching Edward’s long legs carry him across the sand and out of sight.


	2. Nygma's pov

Edward hadn’t intended talking to anyone but the sheer inexplicability of the figure piqued his interest. Firstly by his choice to sit up on the rocks rather than laid out on the soft sand and secondly by his focus being in from the Sea rather than out. Most people came here to admire the view across the waves, not the comings and goings on the shore.

The obvious conclusion was that he had somehow hurt himself upon the sharp stones and then it was only polite for Ed to offer some help. As he approached however, other factors came into play. Namely a recognition that this person was quite, quite attractive.

He knew that his opinion would not be shared by everyone. It had been made abundantly clear to him that his attraction for those who carried some extra weight was unusual. Sometimes he tried to defend his stance, either to himself or those few people who actually spoke to him about it. He might say that growing up in the circumstances he did led him to appreciate the protective nature of such added flesh. Or that it was logically better from a cuddling point of view. He could even talk artistically about gentle curves being more pleasing to the eye than sharp angles.

Mostly however he didn’t even try to explain it. Just like he had a natural preference for men with dark hair and liquid eyes, he had a preference for those on the chunky side.

Unfortunately Ed was also aware that he had very awkward social skills and it was unlikely the man would appreciate his attention. Still, offering assistance in case of injury was surely an unimpeachable reason to introduce himself.

“Hello.”

He hadn’t realised his approach had been so quiet and he cursed himself as the figure flailed in shock and nearly tumbled backwards off the rock. With an internal rebuke that his inbred habit of maintaining a silence to avoid undue attention wasn’t always appropriate in general society, he instinctively reached out and steadied the other man.

“Sorry! Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.” He found himself staring into a pair of glittering blue-green eyes and momentarily forgot what he was saying. “I guess I should have taken into account the sound of the surf drowning out my footsteps,” he continued trying to explain himself. “I have a quiet tread and I suppose announcing my approach sooner would have been preferable but I was concerned you were hurt. Are you hurt?”

The wide eyes blinked at him and Ed felt his stomach curl as he interpreted the confusion as discomfort.

“People don’t usually come up here. It can be dangerous due to wet patches and sharp edges,” he rambled. “And it struck me as odd that you were sitting looking _towards_ the beach and I thought perhaps you might have hurt yourself but I can see now you’re fine… Not _fine_ as in…Although you certainly are fine… But that’s not an appropriate comment is it? I didn’t mean to-”

It was a relief to be interrupted but an absolute delight when he wasn’t sent on his way. Instead he was offered a wonderfully beguiling smile and asked his name. Quickly answering, he immediately took the implied invitation and sat himself down where he could better admire his new companion before asking his name in turn.

Oswald. The name given him in return for his own lodged itself in his heart and he found his mind swirling it round delightedly. Oswald. Edward and Oswald. Ed and Os. Eddie and Ozzie. How perfectly balanced it all sounded.

He quickly reproached himself as he saw the smile drift from Oswald’s face. He shouldn’t be leaping to such conclusions when they’d just met. How inappropriate was that? Oswald could probably see it in his face and was already likely regretting their introduction.

“Oh… Was that too pushy of me? I’m not very good at socializing I’m afraid.”

Ed was fully prepared to retreat, taking his ridiculous hopes to bury elsewhere when he was surprised again. Oswald rushed to reassure him.

“No! Not at all. I’m just remembering the last person to call me that. She died. The memory… is still rather raw.”

“I’m sorry.” Ed hesitated, his mind floundering in this unfamiliar territory. What were you supposed to say to someone suffering grief? Of course that was why he was sitting alone. How could Ed have ever thought such a person would be willfully unattached? “Was she your girlfriend?”

The laughter this drew was wholly unexpected. But then again a lot of the laughter Ed heard in his life was. He winced slightly as he awaited becoming the butt of the punchline.

“No.” Oswald’s smile calmed Ed’s rising panic. “I meant my mother. I’ve never had a girlfriend.”

“Now I can’t believe that!” The exclamation was entirely unintentional but Edward honestly couldn’t imagine the person in front of him hadn’t been swept up by some equally attractive beauty. It was the way things worked. Ed had seen it countless times from his position on the sidelines.

“I’m not sure why,” he was told. “I am gay after all.”

The reply floored him. Firstly because of the unrestrained honesty in the admittance of his sexuality – growing up, Ed could never imagine having that sort of openness – secondly because it made Oswald doubly available. His gender wasn’t an immediate disqualification!

“Sorry.” He winced as he heard himself and rushed to make sure Oswald wouldn’t think he felt his sexuality required sympathy. “I shouldn’t have assumed. It was just when you said you’d never had a girlfriend and… well… look at you!”

His hastiness to assure him that he wasn’t phased by Oswald’s admittance led Ed into being overly pushy again. He knew it made people uncomfortable when he expressed a liking for them. Would he never learn to hold his tongue?

Oswald however seemed genuinely bemused and Edward realized he would have to actually explain his faux pas.

“You look healthy and well. I mean just compare yourself to me.” He held his arms out for appraisal. “No padding to protect my bones, no excess meat on my muscles to carry me through hard times. I’m one meal away from starvation. _You_ look like you’d not only survive but continue to thrive.” He ducked his gaze away. “I’ve always envied people who could carry some weight. I always seem to be running to catch up.”

Mealtimes being a precarious game of trying to gather enough food without drawing any other notice was something he didn’t think it wise to mention and he deliberately kept his thoughts away from those particular times in his childhood when rough hands and hard fists had made extra layers of softening especially attractive.

“But you look perfect!” The sudden interjection from Oswald very effectively stopped Ed’s thoughts from their incipient nosedive. “I mean, you’re perfectly balanced. Every limb in proportion. No unsightly lumps. Utterly streamlined.”

For a second Ed had merely stared at his rosy cheeks before that last comment made him laugh unintentionally.

“Being streamlined is all very well but it doesn’t keep you warm in the water.”

“You don’t live in the water though,” Oswald commented.

“No,” Edward agreed, his gaze lingering out on the water. “I suppose that’s true.”

He couldn’t help but imagine what that would be like. Away from everyone on the land with their inexplicable ways and their willful ignorance. Although perhaps he wouldn’t want to be away from _everyone_. He smiled back at Oswald.

“So what do your friends call you if not Oswald? Or your boyfriend?” The later he tacked on with a faint tinge of desperate hope which he hoped Oswald wouldn’t notice.

“Not my friends,” Oswald amended, “And I don’t have a boyfriend either,” –Edward’s heart leapt pitifully– “They tend to call me… well… Penguin.”

“Oh that’s cute! I can see why.” Ed cast his gaze over him again seeing the adorable resemblance. “That feathery black hair right? And I bet you’re a strong swimmer too.”

“No. It’s because I’m fat. And my nose is too sharp. And I spend too long on the shore.”

For the first time, it occurred to Ed that Oswald really didn’t see himself as the desirable figure he was and he shook his head determined to correct him at once.

“You’re not _fat_. That sounds so derogative.” Honestly, Edward hated the connotations particular terms were given. “You seem perfectly shaped to me. And who says your nose is too sharp? It’s beautifully aquiline. And what’s wrong about spending time on the shore? Most of the people who live here are only here because they love the beach.”

“Is that why you live here? Or don’t you live here? I haven’t seen you around before.”

“I just moved here,” Edward answered, noticing that Oswald was deliberately not agreeing nor disagreeing with his argument. “But, yes, I moved here to be close to the water. My family… don’t approve of my affinity for the Sea. So as soon as I was old enough I left to live on my own. What about you? I guess you’re a local?”

“Yes. I lived with my mother until…” Oswald grimaced slightly. “Well, until. Now I stay in the community where I grew up because I wouldn’t know where else to go. It’s my home.” He shrugged, seemingly feeling that explained it.

It was a concept Ed couldn’t fully relate to, never having felt any especial connection to anywhere or anyone.

“Do you mean the town?”

“No. I live…” There was a hesitation as Oswald turned to get his bearings. “In an isolated commune. They’re… very private. They don’t like me leaving in fact.”

“Oh. So I couldn’t visit you then?”

The idea of talking more with Oswald had very quickly become Ed’s prime ambition. Well, talking and other things. Being stymied so early, while nothing unusual to him, still nevertheless hurt.

“I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t appreciate me bringing you home,” Oswald confirmed. “But perhaps we could meet here again?”

It was an offer Ed couldn’t resist.

“I’d like that! Maybe tomorrow I could bring a picnic?” He immediately worried that was too presumptuous and Oswald’s sudden hesitance only increased his anxiety.

“That sounds like a date?”

The tentative question left them both holding their breath and Ed knew he had to be truthful now.

“I’d like that,” he answered with an embarrassed blush.

“I’d like that too.”

Oswald’s reciprocation made Ed’s heart soar but he didn’t know what to do next. He’d never got this far with anyone.

“Umm, so, should I walk you home?”

“That’s alright.” Oswald rose, obviously signaling the end of their conversation. “The rocks can be dangerous if you don’t know them. I’ll be fine.”

“Oh, okay then. So, lunchtime tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” Oswald confirmed.

Edward felt a growing sense of lost opportunity as the other man prepared to leave. This could be the last time he saw him. Their proposed meeting might never happen. Edward steeled his resolve therefore and darted forward to kiss his cheek.

“See you tomorrow Oswald,” he offered, waiting only to see the pleased blush light his cheeks before heading away lest he do something too excessive.

He concentrated very hard on walking away like a normal person and not doing a ridiculous happy dance across the sand. Or a happy shuffle anyway. Okay, an excited rhythmic side-to-side sway because he was bubbling with excitement. But he restrained himself because he didn’t want either to make Oswald think he was unduly weird or to draw any other unwanted attention.

It was already getting later than he’d anticipated being here and he couldn’t afford to leave it much later. There had been a very valid reason for his trip to the beach after all and, even if his meeting with Oswald had driven it temporarily from his mind, his body was beginning to send sharp signals that couldn’t be ignored.

It was a truth he couldn’t let anyone know though, not even Oswald. Especially not Oswald. Because how could you tell someone that every day you needed to swim because you were part mermaid?


	3. Edward's pov

Oswald was already there waiting when Edward returned to the beach the next morning. He could hardly believe his luck. Part of him hadn’t expected the other man to show his face at all, let alone to be ridiculously early for their lunch date. He happily put off his morning swim in favour of reacquainting himself.

After an initial awkward greeting, where their equal disbelief in the other’s presence was apparent, they quickly fell into talking of everything and nothing. They shared the mixed basket of delicacies Ed had hastily thrown together at midday and then continued to talk. Of riddles and regrets, ambitions and inhibitions.

As the day grew hot Edward was surprised Oswald didn’t suggest sharing a swim – and he had mentally prepared excuses to get out of such a proposition – but his comment that his mother had died at sea answered both that mystery and the puzzle of why he always kept his back to the water.

Mentions of family were cautious and tentative, neither wishing to probe at those particular sore points, but it was enough to let them understand that they were each effectively alone in the world now. Edward driven out by the cruelty of his upbringing while Oswald endured disapprobation with stubborn stoicism.

As the afternoon waned Ed fetched them fish and chips and then a tense silence fell as each anticipated their parting. It was with sorrow Ed knew they couldn’t sit out to watch the stars appear. Asides from the fact he needed to bathe in the sea lest he suffer dehydration and sickness, there was also the concern that Oswald would need to find his way back in the failing light.

This time when the moment came upon them to say goodbye though it was Oswald who literally seized the moment and pulled Ed into a proper intense kiss leaving him to breathlessly watch as he made his way with surprising ease away over the rocks.

After that their meetings were eagerly looked for. Words flowed freely and without censure as both realised they had met someone who would not judge them for their ideas. Someone who would understand that the world’s cruelties could create a tough skin but not actually extinguish the underlying feelings.

Kisses became more frequent and lingering too as the fear of rejection diminished. Every day would begin and end with a meeting of lips but Oswald initially shied away from other shows of affection. It took Ed a little while to recognise that he simply wasn’t accustomed to tender adoration being plied upon his curves and folds and still feared ridicule. After that he made it his daily mission to acclimatise his new beau to the sensation of a loving touch.

His double chins were an easy starting point since, while Oswald was still dazed from a sizzling kiss, it was easy for Ed to let his lips drift down and onto his neck. It quickly became routine for him to ply delicate chaste kisses across the skin right onto his shoulder.

The next obvious target for him was Oswald’s wide hands. As they shared their lunchtime meal, he would always snag those stubby digits within his longer fingers and hang onto him so as to lick off any potential stray crumbs. Which inevitably led to him licking up from his wrist and eventually laving his chubby arms with loving licks and the occasional naughty bite. While Oswald always flushed adorably under this sensual assault, he never actually pulled his arm away.

Getting his hands onto the wide belly was entirely another matter though. Every slight touch, or even hint of a touch there, would have him shifting away with embarrassment. It was only due to a rather fortuitous accident that everything changed.

Edward had decided to share his secluded bay with Oswald. Even though he knew the man liked to keep a healthy distance between himself and the ocean, he hoped the intimacy of bringing him to this place that only he knew would help build further trust between them. In his excitement though he hadn’t really considered the difficulties that the larger man would face in traversing the narrow path down there.

He almost changed his mind when they reached the top of the descent and the possibility of an accident finally occurred to him but Oswald steeled his jaw and insisted he would be fine. His tread might be heavy but he was sure footed. So Edward led the way slowly down.

It actually went much easier than he’d been fearing until the last five feet. Although a vague path had been worn down most of the way, this last part was a sheer drop and required a leap of faith, so to speak. Edward had no hesitation in dropping down onto the soft sand but Oswald looked decidedly hesitant about the prospect. The offer of being caught had the right effect but for the wrong reason. Oswald glared at the very suggestion and insisted it’d be safer if Ed merely stood back. Which he tried to do, really, but he couldn’t help his heart leaping into his throat as he saw Oswald all but fling himself off the edge.

Between Oswald’s stumbling landing, and Edward’s instinctive dart forward to steady him, Edward finally found himself with his hands wrapped securely round that soft stomach.

The terrified look Oswald cast up at him when he realised made his heart lurch again and he swallowed hard before determinedly slipping his hands into a firmer grip. Oswald’s reaction melted any indecision he might have had left as he let out a shuddering sigh and curled himself into Ed’s embrace.

For an anxiety filled moment neither moved, Edward still overwhelmed by finally having him in his arms as Oswald wilfully surrendering himself to him. Then the tension broke as Ed dove downwards to claim a decidedly unchaste kiss. It seemed that the last of Oswald’s resistance was gone and he was utterly pliant now beneath Ed’s wandering hands. He hastily explored every inch of doughy flesh round his midrift before incautiously dropping his palms down to knead thick thighs.

The gasp this produced brought Ed back to himself and he broke away from their intense kiss with the intention of apologising, only to find a heavy lidded gaze which dried up his unspoken words. Obviously recognising Ed’s sudden panic of having gone too far, Oswald slid his own hands down to press over Edward’s encouraging them in their exploration. After that feelings bubbled to the surface too fast to categorise or control.

Half the time Ed couldn’t have said which bit of skin he was caressing or where his eager lips were landing, only that he was determined to eventually cover everywhere. Any anxieties either might previously have possessed were soothed away by Oswald’s whispered endearments and breathy moans, echoed by Edward’s own fragmented compliments and desperate pleas.

Whole universes seemed to have burst into life, flared bright, and exploded in their deaths before the pair finally came back to a sense of reality. Still it was all too soon that the chill of fading light brought them back with a shiver. Ed tucked himself in closer to the warmth of his lover in a futile effort to hide from the oncoming night. A thousand thoughts warred in his spinning mind; he’d left it too late to swim today… he’d feel that for sure in the early morning… that was still a rather important detail he hadn’t shared with Oswald… who felt so blissful in his arms… did they really have to part?

He wrapped his arms tighter.

“Stay with me,” he murmured softly.

“We can’t stay here,” Oswald began with a tone of fond amusement but Edward quickly shook his head.

“No, I mean… come stay with me. Move in with me.”

He could feel the relaxed body grow rigid with tension.

“I can’t.”

“You could,” he insisted, shifting just far enough to cast his gaze onto Oswald’s taut face. “You’ve said yourself there’s no-one waiting for you. No-one who cares for you. _I_ care for you.”

He emphasised the statement with a little kiss to his neck and felt Oswald sigh in response.

“That’s not the point.” He sounded sorrowful. “I can’t leave. There’s… well, there’s good reasons I have to stay.”

Edward frowned at that.

“Are they keeping you prisoner? Is it some kind of cult thing?”

“What? No!”

“Then why can’t you leave?” Ed finally moved out of the embrace, shivering as the cool air rushed between them. He could see goose bumps break out across Oswald’s skin too. “You don’t have to stay with me if you don’t want to but they shouldn’t stop you from leaving.”

“Of course I want to stay with you Edward. I lo-” he bit himself off and cast his gaze aside. “But that’s not the point,” he repeated.

“Then what is?” He knelt in the sand and stared down expectantly, watching Oswald shimmy himself into a sitting position as he avoided answering. “Oswald?”

“I have… obligations,” he replied vaguely. “Its important.”

“What obligations? What aren’t you telling me?”

“Isn’t it enough to know they exist? Do you have to know what they are?”

“Yes! At least when they seem to be responsible for keeping you from following your heart. And you’ve never mentioned them before,” he added petulantly. “If its me you just have to say.”

“No.” Oswald shifted forward so he could reach and tilt Edward’s head back to look at him. “I promise. I’d join you in a heartbeat if I could. Please believe me.”

It took a second before Edward composed himself and nodded. Oswald let out a relieved sigh.

“I told you my community was very private. They simply don’t want certain things discussed.”

“What if I were to join you?”

“Ed…” Oswald looked almost heartbroken at the suggestion. “You can’t. You’d never be accepted there.”

“So… what are you saying? That this is it? This is all we can ever be?”

The words felt like ash in his mouth and the ever increasing darkness felt like it was swallowing him body and soul.

“No. I don’t want that. I want… I want us to be more… I just, don’t know how.”

Edward didn’t know what to say to that and they sat awkwardly on the darkening beach, almost as if the night would provide a refuge from their problems.

“Perhaps,” Oswald hazarded. “I might find a way around it?” He reached out a hand to try and grasp Ed’s. In the fading light he fumbled until Edward caught it in his. “Please tell me this won’t be goodbye.”

“It’s not goodbye Oswald.” He pulled the hand to his lips and pressed what he hoped was a reassuring kiss on the back. “We better get back up the rocks before it gets too dark though.”

He pulled Oswald upright and led him back to the path, bending down to create a step for the shorter man to climb back up before lifting himself after him. They trailed upwards in sad silence concentrating on their footsteps to avoid thinking about their other dilemma. Edward reached out automatically to assist the other man but felt his heart clench each time at the thought that it might be the last touch he ever got.

Their arrival at the top came too soon for either despite the fact they should have been back long before the sun had set. But the moment of parting would always be too soon for Edward. He half wondered if he should again suggest walking Oswald home but knew that, especially in light of their recent conversation, he would refuse.

“You’ll meet me tomorrow?” Oswald asked timidly.

Ed smiled softly and took the opportunity to clasp his hands once more, pressing a kiss to each before replying.

“Of course. As long as you promise _you’ll_ meet _me_?”

“Wild seahorses couldn’t keep me away.” He paused briefly and then darted forward to catch Ed’s lips, almost as if he feared the gesture would be rebuffed.

Ed disabused him of that notion immediately by quickly deepening the kiss before reluctantly letting Oswald pull back.

“Tomorrow then,” he promised, leaving Edward with one final sad smile before disappearing into the sinking darkness.


	4. Oswald's pov

The beach was deserted as the first rays of sunlight lit the golden sands. Oswald hadn't gotten to the beach at dawn since that first anxious morning when he hadn't been sure Ed would turn up but today was important.

He’d tossed and turned all night agonizing over what to do. He loved Edward. The thought of parting from him tore at his heart in a manner all too reminiscent of his grief over his mother’s parting. Yet there was no way they could be together while the enormity of his dual nature remained a secret.

All his life he’d been brought up to fear human’s reactions to merfolk’s existence. The legends of how different colonies and peoples had been hunted and driven out of their territorial waters by ignorant, savage humans. It was why everyone berated him so fearfully for visiting the shore.

True there were the tales of shipwrecked sailors rescued and thus indebted who came to care for their fishy brethren. But a vast number of those tales still ended with heart break or abuse of trust. Oswald knew that if he actually asked anyone whether he should tell Edward the truth they’d not only be horrified by the very idea but also prevent him ever going back to land.

Yet they didn’t know Edward as he did. Edward was different from the other mindless humans. He had a brilliant mind and a perspective so similar to Oswald’s own that he couldn’t conceive of him willfully turning him over to a freak show. Even if he didn’t think they could be together, with Oswald’s need to stay by the Sea, Oswald was sure he’d be kind about it. And wasn’t it better to be honest with him? To give him all the facts so Edward could reject him for a legitimate reason rather than leave him wondering why it all went wrong? Or worse still that it was somehow something wrong with Edward himself.

Oswald would admit to still being nervous even though he had made up his mind. That was why he’d risen so early and come out here to wait. He knew his courage might fail him if he’d encountered even the slightest impediment leaving his home.

His stomach twisted slightly at the memory of the place he’d come from. If everything went well, then he would never see it again and he couldn’t help but be a little sad at the thought. While there was nobody there now who he would miss, he would miss all the places that bore memories of his mother.

Taking a deep breath he recalled her other advice to him. Life only gives you one true love. When you find it, go to it. Well, that was exactly what he was going to do. She would have approved of his decision. He knew that.

Suddenly his breath hitched as he recognized Ed’s tall figure heading towards the path down to the bay. Of course, he wouldn’t be expecting Oswald this early. A part of him thought he should perhaps wait. Let Edward take his time and join him nearer the appointed hour of their date.

However he couldn’t help the lurch of fear in his heart as he worried that perhaps Ed was here early to _avoid_ him. Maybe he’d been so thoroughly offended by Oswald’s reluctance to share everything openly with him after their intimacy that he’d decided it would be better to end things then and there. It could be that Ed would leave without ever giving Oswald the chance to rectify his hesitation.

The thought was more than enough to drive Oswald across to make the descent himself.

He had to keep his eyes trained on where to place his feet but he periodically glanced over to check Ed hadn’t left somehow. He reminded himself of Ed’s words from yesterday that this was the only way in or out. Yet that suddenly made his anxiety worse when he checked the last spot he’d seen Ed, his head bobbing as he swam out from the shore, and realized he _wasn’t there._

Trying to both still his racing heart and maintain his footing as he hurried, he nevertheless threw increasingly worried looks out to Sea. Ed was undoubtedly a good swimmer. He’d commented frequently on his love of water. In all likelihood he’d just dived down to see the corals or wildlife under the surface. _How long could humans hold their breath?_

As he jumped the last perilous drop, Oswald’s own breathing was getting frantic. It felt far too long since he’d seen Ed at the surface. What if this place marked a meeting point of currents? What if there was a riptide? Perhaps Ed had suffered cramp. Or dizziness. Or gotten caught on discarded netting.

All thoughts of decorum or proper etiquette for broaching his ancestry were forgotten and he plunged into the water, quickly powering his way through the breakers and diving into the depths. He inhaled the refreshing liquid quickly as he saw Ed body twisting round a rocky outcrop, seemingly intent on studying the creatures on its surface. Then Ed completed his circuit and Oswald’s brain short circuited.

“You have a tail!”

The blurted statement caught Ed by surprise and he looked momentarily panicked, pressing himself back to hide his fins behind the rock, before focusing on who was talking. Then his own mouth dropped open in surprise.

“Oswald?” He drew out from his shelter as his gaze traversed down the form he’d thought he was so familiar with. “You’re a mermaid too?”

“Less of the ‘maid’ if you don’t mind,” he snapped, sounding harsh in his confusion. “How can you be… I’ve never seen you in the colony… Is there another merfolk town nearby?”

Edward gaped like the proverbial fish as he struggled to come to terms with the sudden revelation and rapid questions.

“There’s a mermaid-folk,” -he quickly corrected- “village?”

“Yes, of course there is. That’s where I’m from. Well not originally. Originally I’m from much deeper waters. But that’s not the point.” He shook his head irritably. “Where are you _from_?”

Again Ed struggled as he sought an answer, glancing about as if for inspiration.

“Can we discuss this back on the shore?” he asked. “I’m… I’d be more comfortable there.”

Oswald’s frustrated anger melted away and he held his hand out for Edward. Together they swam back and awkwardly made their way back onto the beach. Only when they were sat next to each other, in human form once more, did Oswald repeat his question.

Edward let out a bewildered sigh.

“To be honest, I’m not really sure where this gene comes from. My family didn’t approve of questions – either on this topic or any other really – and I can only surmise its something to do with my great grandparent who worked as a fisherman.”

“And you’ve never gone looking out at Sea for others?”

“No. It never occurred to me there would be others. Or if there were, I didn’t expect them to be literally just offshore.”

“Oh Edward.” Oswald wrapped an arm around him. “You must have felt very lonely.”

“I was used to it.” He twisted to meet Oswald’s gaze. “Until I met you and knew I’d never feel complete again without you by my side.”

It was impossible for Oswald not to kiss him in that moment. When he pulled away, Ed looked unexpectedly thoughtful.

“Do you think we knew somehow?” he pondered. “I mean, might there have been some kind of signal… a pheromone or something… that triggered a recognition of a kindred spirit?”

“I have no idea. From my point of view, I simply got blindsided by an incredibly handsome, devilishly intelligent guy in trunks.”

Edward grinned.

“Well I couldn’t tear my eyes off the beach beauty resting like Aphrodite upon her rock.”

Oswald rolled his eyes before casting his gaze away awkwardly.

“I was going to tell you today anyway. About my fishy tail.” He kicked a foot in the air for emphasis. “Does… does your offer still stand?”

“My offer?”

“Of… of moving in together?”

“Yes!” Edward gripped Oswald’s hands tight as if he might disappear if he didn’t. “If anything it’s even more perfect than I could have envisaged. But… can you live out of the Sea? How often do you need to swim? Will your people still object?”

“No, they won’t object.” Oswald smiled softly. “I have no intention of asking their opinion either way. If you’ll have me, I was going to move in immediately and never go back. Let them imagine what they will of my disappearance. They won’t miss me.”

Ed delicately kissed each hand held in his.

“I’d miss you,” he said softly. “And I’d love to have you.” He blushed brightly. “Not like _that_… although obviously I _would_ like that… But I meant-”

Oswald interrupted him with a kiss and a kind laugh.

“I know. I feel the same. As to my hydration. Well, you’ve probably worked out I can easily spend a whole day out of water. I’ve never tried any longer. I don’t really know what would happen if I dried out too much. I just know I get uncomfortable towards the end of a hot day.”

“I get flaky skin and weird stripes if I don’t get submerged often enough,” Ed replied. “But it sounds like we could share similar habits and get by quite happily.”

“A life by the Sea, frequent swims, and the love of my life by my side?” Oswald suggested. “Yes, quite happily,” he agreed.

“The love of your life?”

“The one and only.”

Edward leant in to place a reaffirming kiss upon perfect pink lips.

“You’re my one and only too Oswald.”

For a moment they simply rested their foreheads together, content to breathe the same air. Then Edward was suddenly pulling him back upright with a wide grin.

“Come with me! There is some absolutely fascinating sea life out there and I’ve never had anyone I could share it with before.”

As Oswald was enthusiastically dragged back towards the water he let out a delighted laugh. He didn’t have the heart to tell Edward he had probably seen more exotic sealife swimming round his childhood home than Ed could ever conceive of. Maybe he’d take Edward down deeper to see it someday anyway.

For now he knew he’d be blissfully enchanted by Ed’s hand in his and the man’s happiness in sharing this passion. And they had all their lives to share together now. Oswald would give Ed the world if he asked him to.

As their tails reformed and splashed in sync through the waves, Oswald knew his mother had been right and in that moment he could almost feel her embrace in the warm foam of the surf wrapped around him. Then, with one last sneaky kiss, Edward pulled him down after him into the Sea and Oswald happily swam on to his new life.


End file.
